Push-button.



G. E. & E. B. ROEDDING.

PUSH BUTTON.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 6.' 1914.

PATENT @FFM- GoRnoN noEmiiNG AND EDWARD nnoEniJING, or DETROIT,MICHIGAN.

rusia-BUTTON.

To all t may concern.'

` Be it known that we, GORDON E. ROEDDING 4:@United States of- America,residing atDe- 5iig1&oit,. in the county ofWayne and State of Jfichigan,have invented. certainnew and seful Improvements in Push-Buttons, .ofvhich the following is a speciication, ref- ,Ifeenee 4being hadI thereinto the accompany ng" drawings.

4provide av push button or compact switch j *wherein positive andreliable means are emtarydevice or separate and distinctappli` vances. v

fAnotherobject of this invention is to provide a push button with aplurality of compactly arranged contacts that may 'be leasily and.quickly actuated to complete a desired electrical icircuit, and itis inthis connection, that the -button has been especially designed forinstallation upon the steering-post of an automobile, whereby the-chafueur or operator of thel machine: mayf readily control variouselectrical circuits lused throughout vthe machine orin connection with asingle accessory thereon.

A further object of this invention is to provide a push button of theabove type emjbodying a plurality of strong and: durable parts that areeasy to assemble and maintain 'in'operatable condition, and highlyefficient as anv electrical switch. ,y

We attain the'above and other` objects by ya mechanical constructionthat will be hei-einaftpr specifically described vand then claimed, andreference will now be had to the drawing, wherein,l l j Figure l is aplan of thepush button with the cover or cap thereof removed;"Fig. 2. is'a si'inilar view of the push button with the co'verfor cap in place;Fig. 3 is a cross sectonalwiew of the push button, and Fig. 4 is a viewsimilar to Fig. 1, illustrating the electrical connections ofthe device.lIn the drawings 1 denotes a base plate that' isp'referably circular inplan View and.

secured to said'basevplate screws 2 or `otherfastening means, 1s acircular plateor disk 3 'made of insulating material, as ioer nd EDWARDB. RonDDiNc, citizensA of the ...This invention'relates to push buttons,and y fthe-primary object of our invention is to.`

'or'rubberp The top .of the plate 3 has a ,926,1 i Specification ofLetters Patent. i Patented Apr; 13, 1915. u Application ledebrnary 6,1914.' Serial 110,816,916. I

an annular wall or holder 5 'that is preferably made integral with thecircular plate 3.

Mounted in the holder 5 are diametrically opposed binding posts 6, 7 8and 9, preferably inthe form of screws, and adjacent to each, bindingpost is a slit or slot 10 approXimately half the depth of the holder.The

slits yor slotsy `10 accommodate the outer ends Vof tangentiallydisposed resilient contact arms 11, 12, 13, and 14, that extend inwardlyto a. point in proximity to the verti` cal aXis of the device. The innerends ofthe' arms 11 to 14 4inclusive are contiguous` to the inner endsofthe binding posts or screws 6 to 9r inclusive and constitute contactmembers adapted to complete electrical circuits when-brought intocontact with the inner ends ofthe binding posts. The outer ends yof thecontact arms are bent against the outer side ofthe contact holder 5 andsecured thereto by screws -15 o r other fastening means, serving asbinding posts, as `will hereinafter appear. M

rPhe contact holder 5, adjacent to the binding post 9, has the wallthereof cut away, as at 16 andsecured to said holder in proximity to theplate 3 and within the cut away portion of the holder is a flat Contactmember 17, which extends inwardly to af point centrally of the recess 4and is provided with avertical pin 18,fas best shown in Fig. 3. TheContact member .17 is held in position by a binding post or screw 19 andadjacent to the binding post 19 is another binding post or screu7 20employed for holding a spiral resilient contact member 21 above and outof contact with the pin 18. The spiral contact member 21 is of theordinary and well known type used in connection with a push button andis adapted to be depressed -to engage the pin 18 and establishanielectrical circuit independent of the contact arms 12 to 14 andcentral circular recess 4 having for its d-ls` over the slots 23. is asocket member orslide button 24 having a concentric sleeve 25 exrtendinthrough the slots 23 into the casing forme by the base plate 1 and thecover 22. .The sleeve 25 is exteriorly screw threaded and screwedthereon is a retaining plate 26 and an insulating member 27 made ofliber or rubber. The member 27 is circular in plan view and the sides orperiphery there of is engaged by the contact arms 11 to la inclusive, asbest shown in Fig. 3.

Movable longitudinally of the sleeve 25 is the .push rod or shank 28 ofa push button 29 located Within the socket of the member or slide button24. Encircling the rod or shank`28, between the button 29 and the bottomof the slide button 24 is a. coiled compression spring 30 that retainsthe push button 29 normally elevated or in a -pro jected position. Theinner end of the push rod or shank 28 is provided With a contact head 3ladapted to engage the central portion or inner convolution of the spiralcontact member 21 and shift said member into engagement with the pin 18of the member 17 to complete an electrical circuit, in a manner similarto an ordinary push button. 'Ihe space within the casing, between thecontact holder 5 and the walls of the cover 22 provides suliicie'ntclearance for leadingin Wires which enter the casing through a sleeve 32carried by the base plate 1 andan opening 33 formed in the circularplate 3.

As illustratedin Fig. 4, a leading-in Wire 34 is connected to thebinding post 9 and by branches, to the binding post 19, 8, 7 and 6. Aleading-out wire is connected to the binding post of the contact arm 14,and in a like manner wires 36, 3S and 39 are connected to the bindingposts Iof the arms 13, 12 and 11, respectively. Another wire 37 isconnected to the binding post 20 of the member 21. These leading-outWires may be assembled in a cable extending through the sleeve and theopening 233, and then the proper connections established. v As anexample of means for attaching the push button tofits support, there isillus itrated in Fig. 3, a t\vopart clamp employed for connecting thepush button to a steering post of a steering wheel therefor. One part 40of the clamp is preferably formed integral with the base plate l and thedetachable part 41 of said clamp is connected to the part 4() by setscrews l2 or other fastening means.

The slide button 2l constitutes means upon the casing of apush buttonfor shifting one of the contact arms 11 to 14 inclusive into engagementwith one f the binding posts G to 9 inclusive, as the slide button 2l isguided by the slots 23 in the proper radial directions tocdefiect thearms int'o contact with their posts. The resil ncy ofthe severalcontactarms operates to yieldinglyhold the button in an axial position relativeto the casing and to return it to that position when moved therefrom asWell as to break the circuits when the button is released.

As an instance of the operation of the butt-on, We will assume that thebutton 2,4 is shifted to the right. The member 27 then contacts with theresilient arm 13 and said varm is shifted into engagement with thecompleting the following binding post 7 circuit from the leading endwire 34 through the binding post 7, arm 13 and screw 15 to the leadingout wire 36. With these Wires in circuit with a suitable source theplate 26 to prevent dirt, Water, etc.,

from getting into the casing and interfering with the operation of theelectrical contacts.

It is thought that the opera-tion and utilityv of the push button willbe apparent without further description, and While in the drawing thereis illustrated a preferred embodiment of the invention, it is to beunderstood that the structural elements are susceptible tosuch'variations and modifications as fall within the scope of theappended claims.

1. A push button comprising a casing, a plurality of sets of electricalcontacts Within said casing, and means shiftable radially of said casingfor independently establishing electrical circuits through saidcontacts.

2. A push button comprising a casing, a

plurality of independent sets ofb electrical contacts within saidcasing, a slide button adapted to be shifted radially of said casing toestablish independent electrical circuits through said contacts, andmeans carried by said slide button and operatable independent thereoffor establishing a `circuit independent of the first mentioned circuits.

3. A push button comprising a casing, independent sets of contactsarranged Within said casing around the center thereof, and' a slidemember shiftable radially of said easing to establish independentcircuits through said contacts.

4. ln a push button, the combination"with a casing having axial meansfor establishing -an electrical circuit, of a plurality of sets of'contacts arranged within said casing, and

' casi'ng to actuate e1 l of said button to close tacts, a push meansshiftable radially upon said casing for establishing independentcircuits through said contacts `independent of said axial means.

5. In a push button,'the combination with a casing, and push buttonactuated contacts Within said casing for completing an electricalcircuit, of independent sets of contactsV arranged within said casing,and means normally held in position to actuate said push button contactsand shiftable radially in said her set of contacts Within said casing tocomplete an electrical circuit.

6. In a push button, the vcombination with a casing, a contact therein,a resilient spiral contact member ada ted to engagesaid contact, ofV ashiftable utton for moving said resilient spiral member, and independentsets of contacts arranged within said casing, and adapted "to beactuated by the shiftin the circuits in whic said contacts areconnected.

7 A' push button comprising `a casing, an annular insulated contactholder arranged therein, independent sets of contacts carried by saidholder, and a slide button shiftable in radial directions upon saidcasing to establishindependent circuits in connection with saidcontacts.

8. A ppsh button comprising a casing, an insulated contact holderarranged therein,

.independent ,sets of contacts carried by said holder, a slide buttonshiftable in radial directions upon said casingto establish inde-vpendent circuits in connection with' said con member carried by saidslide button, and means within said casing engaged by said push memberadapted to oo mplete an electrical circuit in connection with circuitsof the first mentioned contacts.

, 9. A ush button comprising a casing, a contact older arranged therein,independent sets of contacts carried by said holder, av slide buttonshiftable upon saidcasing, means supported by said slide button Withinsaid casing and normally engaging certain oi said 'contactsmvhereby amovement of said slide button establishes a circuit through either setof contacts, and means within said ,casing and operatable in conjunctionwith .said slide button for establishing a circuit independent of thefirst mentioned circuits.

10. A.'push button comprising a casing, a shiftable insulated member inthe casing, resilient contact arms arranged around said shiftable memberand normally in contact therewith to hold the'same centrally Within 'thecasing, contacts'to be engaged by the arms when exed, and means forshifting the said member to flex said arms.

11. AFi device of the type described comprising 'a casing, acontactholder arranged therein, binding posts carried by said holder, resilientcontact arms carried by vsaid holder and adapted to engage said bindingposts, a

' slide button mo/vable upon said casing,

means carried by engaging said arms whereby one of said arms can bemoved independently of the other arm, and a push member carried by saidslide button andadapted-to 'establish an electrical circuit independentof the cir-v cuits established by said binding posts and said resilientarms. l

12. In a push button, a casinga plurality of resilient contact armsarranged therein and adapted to independently complete electricalcircuits, means shiftable upon said casing for independently moving saidcontact arms, and means capable o actuation in connection with the firstmentioned means for establishing an electrical circuit independent ofcircuits through said resilient contact arms.,

In testimony whereof We affix our signatures Ain presence of twoWitnesses.

GORDON E. ROEDDING. EDWARD B.v ROEDDING. Witnesses:

ANNA M. Donn, Lnwis E. FLANDERS.

said button and normally

